Frequently Asked Questions

Remedy Internal Medicine utilizes a Direct Primary Care model, so what is Direct Primary Care?

Direct primary care is an innovative model where the patient pays the clinic a periodic fee as a membership in exchange for primary care services. Because the clinic is paid directly by the patient, insurance is not utilized in the direct primary care model, thereby eliminating most of the insurance hassles involved in health care. This model also provides patients with more time and continuity with their own personal physician. This model shifts the incentives back to taking care of patients rather than completing insurance company or administrator check boxes.

Why should I choose a clinic utilizing a Direct Primary Care model?

Each of us have different communication needs and schedules and the Direct Primary Care model allows your medical team to communicate with you in the way that works best for you including phone, text, email, virtual and in-person visits. In this model, the physician cares for a much smaller total number of patients, meaning improved access to the physician who knows you best.

Do I need medical insurance?

Although we do not accept insurance, medical insurance is still recommended for emergencies such as hospitalizations, surgeries, cancer diagnosis, or other health issues that may arise. A similar comparison may be car insurance. We use our car insurance for large expenses or major accidents, and not for routine oil changes and maintenance services. Because the direct primary care model is not insurance, it does not meet the criteria for insurance as set forth in the Affordable Care Act.

Can you pay the monthly or annual fee from a health savings account (HSA) or flexible spending account (FSA)?

This is a bit confusing as many states view direct primary care as an eligible medical expense, but the US Treasury and IRS have not officially made a statement about its eligibility. A presidential executive order signed on June 24, 2019 specifically calls on the Treasury to regulate Direct Primary Care as an eligible medical expense. We advise patients with an HSA to contact their Health Plan administrator (usually Human Resource office) and/or accountant to ask if it is OK to use their HSA funds to pay the direct primary care monthly or annual fees. For FSA accounts, however, direct primary care does appear to be an eligible expense. We suggest you work with your Human Resource office to confirm that is the case, but you may refer them to the following rule. - Jun 10, 2020 Proposed rule announced: DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY Internal Revenue Service 26 CFR Part 1 [REG-109755-19] RIN 1545-BP31 Certain Medical Care Arrangements.

What is Internal Medicine?

Internal Medicine is a field of medicine that focuses on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of adult diseases. After a residency in internal medicine, some internal medicine physicians choose to specialize further into fields such as cardiology, rheumatology, gastroenterology (to name a few). However, some internal medicine physicians choose to practice general internal medicine. As generalists, we handle “the broad spectrum of illnesses that can affect adults and we are recognized as experts in diagnosis, treatment of chronic illness, and health promotion and disease prevention.” https://www.acponline.org/about-acp/about-internal-medicine

What if I need labs, imaging, or specialist care?

The majority of labs that are needed are included in your membership. For those labs not included, we offer discounted labs or we are also able to bill your insurance for these services if desired. Similarly with imaging, you may choose a discounted cash rate or decide to bill insurance for these tests. We commonly work with specialists and many patients choose to use their insurance for these specialty care referrals. As your primary care clinic, we will do our best to help you navigate the health care system.

Will we really be able to contact our physician directly?

Yes! Your physician will be available by phone, email, or text. The clinic will work to accommodate your needs and do our best to help you avoid urgent care or the emergency room if we can. If emergency care cannot be avoided, we will help you navigate your emergency and follow up afterwards to ensure coordination of care. Though we are health care professionals, we are also parents, spouses, volunteers in our communities, etc. There may be times when we are not immediately available, but be assured we will call you as soon possible so we can focus our attention on your concern. If you are concerned about a life-threatening situation, please do go directly to the emergency room and you or your family can update us as events unfold so we can help as much as possible.